SCIENCE 



Editoeial Commiiteb : S. Newcomb, Mathematics ; R. S. Woodward, Mechanics ; E. C. Pickeeing, 



Astronomy; T. C. Mendenhall, Physics; R. H. ThueSton, Engineering; lEA Remsen, Chemistry; 



J.. Le Conte, Geology; W. M. Davis, Physiography; 0. C. Marsh, Paleontology; W. K. 



Beooks, C. Haet Meeeiam, Zoology; S. H. Scuddee, Entomology; N. L. Beitton, 



Botany; Heney F. Osboen, General Biology; H. P. Bowditch, Physiology; 



J. S. Billings, Hygiene ; J. McKeen Cattell, Psychology ; 



Daniel G. Beinton, J. W. Powell, Anthropology ; 



G. Beown Goode, Scientific Organization. 



Friday, June 5, 1896. 



CONTENTS: 



On the Untecknical Terminology of the Sex-relation 

 in Plants: L. H. Bailey 825 



On the Diffusion of Metals: W. C. EoBEETS-AusTIlsr..827 



071 the Detection of Glacial Strise in Reflected Light : 

 F. C. Soheadee 830 



Occurrence of Uiniaite in Utah : Geoege H. El- 

 deidge 830 



Buins of Quirigud: John" E. Chandlee 832 



Current Notes on Anthropology : — • 

 Primitive Ethnology of France: Palxoliths from 

 Somaliland ; Comparative Ethnic Anatomy : D. 

 6. Beinton „ 833 



Notes upon Agriculture and Sorticultnre : — 



Tlie American Persimmon ; Plum-leaf Spot ; Fungi- 

 cides Increase the Growth of Plants; Vegetable Cul- 

 ture : Byeon D. Halsted 834 



Scientifle Notes and News : — 



The 3Ieiric System; The Eontgen Pays ; The Storage 

 of Water; Crater Lake ; General 836 



University and Educational News 840 



Discussion and Correspondence : — 



'Progress in American Ornithology, 1886-'95 :' E. 

 W. Shufeldt, J. A. Allen. The Polar Sares 

 of Eastern North America : Samuel N. Ehoads. 

 American Polar Hares: C. H. M. The Subject 

 of Consciousness : J. W. Powell 841 



Scientific Literature : — 



Lang's Text-hook of Comparative Anatomy: W. 

 H. Dall. Naue's Die Bronzezeit in Olerbayern ; 

 Bergen's Current Superstitions : D. G. BEINI0N..847 



Societies and Academies : — 



Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia: 

 Edw. J. Nolan. Proceedings of the Torrey Bo- 

 tanical Club : W. A. Bastedo. Alabama Indus- 

 trial and Scientific Society : Eugene A. Smiih..850 



New Books 852 



MSS. intended for publication and books, etc., intended 

 for review should be sent to the responsible editor, Prof. J 

 McKeen Cattell, Garrison-on-Hudson, N. Y. 



ON THE UNTECHNICAL' TERMINOLOGY OF 

 THE SEX-RELATION IN PLANTS. 



The modern conception of the sex-rela- 

 tion and the alternation of generations in 

 plants has so changed our point of view 

 respecting the morphologies of various mem- 

 bers that an entirely new terminology has 

 recently come into use to express the new- 

 found homologies. At the same time, there 

 is an attempt to restrict or to specialize the 

 use of such age-long words as male and 

 female, sex and the like, when applying 

 them to plants. This part of the new 

 terminology which touches common langu- 

 age is not above criticism, and I wish 

 briefly to advert to it. 



It should be said, in the first place, that 

 the original conceptions of sexuality in 

 plants, from Camerarius down to the middle 

 of this century, were borrowed and adapted 

 very largely from analogy with the animal 

 kingdom. The stamens were considered to 

 be male organs of sex and the pistils to be 

 female organs, the idea of the necessity of 

 a conformed sex-member being evidently 

 borrowed from a knowledge of animal 

 morphology. At the present time, however, 

 our conception of the sex-relation of the 

 higher plants is borrowed from a study of 

 the flowerless plants, which, with every 

 reason, are believed to represent a more 

 primitive stage of evolution than the flower- 

 ing plants. The true significance of the sex- 

 process in plants was first clearly conceived 



